


Laurel

by shipnuggets



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Ancient Greece, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Keith is human, M/M, Major Character Injury, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Shiro is Apollo, Shiro is a God, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-24 01:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15619071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipnuggets/pseuds/shipnuggets
Summary: Keith lives in ancient Greece and accidentally meets the god Shirogane. He falls in love with the god and when Keith get's assaulted, Shiro has to save him.





	Laurel

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my fic!
> 
> This fic is based on different versions of the greek myth of the nymph Daphne (the one in which she turns into a laurel tree and the one where she gets assaulted and saved by an unicorn).  
> In this fic Shiro is Apollo, who is a Greek (and Roman) God. He's the god of light, music, art, poetry, oracles, archery, medicine, healing, plague and knowledge.(In case this might be confusing in the fic)
> 
> Find me on tumblr to fangirl about sheith and voltron: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/shipnuggets.

Keith lives a very normal life. Yes, he may be living in an orphanage, but other than that his life is very normal. He just subscribed for the ancient Greek army, because he turns nineteen in three weeks and doesn’t really know what else to do with his life. Keith feels lucky with the likeable owners of the orphanage, who consider the army and fighting for their polis very important and make sure that their orphans get everything they need to join the army. He’ll be assigned to a military duty of two years as an hoplite in the frontiers of Attica. Hopefully he can stay in the army after those years. Maybe he can even get promoted to captain or colonel, since he has outstanding fighting skills and speed. He easily wins fights from the other boys in the orphanage, he doesn’t even have to try that hard. 

Just like his life is normal, his current day is also a very normal day. He is going to spar with a boy from his orphanage: Lance. Lance is what comes closest to a friend for Keith and he likes training with him, because he is the best fighter of all the other boys in the orphanage. Keith still has to hold back, but at least Lance tries his best. So Keith leaves his favourite spot in the forest to head to the orphanage. His favourite spot is a cave hidden behind a waterfall. He likes being in there, because no one can see or disturb him and because of the magical sound of the waterfall and water seeping across the big rocks at the entrance of the cave. There’s just enough space between the waterfall and the rocks of the cave to pass the waterfall without getting wet. He has to follow a rocky path at the side of the lake that’s in front of the cave. The path leads to a little stream that’s surrounded by a valley with beautiful red and black flowers. The trees are blossoming and a part of the blossoms get carried around the area by the pleasant breeze. Keith visits these hidden parts of the woods nearly every day and has never seen another person here. 

But, as it turns out, today is not a day like every other day. When Keith descents the rocky path and enters the valley, he is surprised to hear music. When he walks further into the valley he hears the most beautiful tune he has ever heard. Keith follows the direction of the sound and next to the stream is standing the most beautiful person Keith has ever seen, even though he can only see his back. The striking figure of the man and the golden glow around him, make Keith suspect he's a God. Keith has never met one before, but he's heard stories of people meeting gods. After observing the man for a while, Keith notices the bow and arrow and the lyre in the man's hands which produces the pleasant music. This man, Keith thinks, must be Shirogane; the God of light, who makes the sun rise, and the God of healing and music. When the God turns around, Keith notices his golden arm. It looks like a prosthetic made out of pure light. Funny, the stories don’t mention a prosthetic. Keith is baffled by the beauty of the God. Even the huge scar across his nose and cheeks looks beautiful and radiates soft light. 

"Speak stranger. Where do you come from and what is your business with me?" Shirogane asks. Keith notices that his voice sounds silvery; clear, light and extremely pleasant. 

"I’m Keith, Keith Kogane" He notices that his voice sounds a bit hoarse, probably because he hasn’t spoken for a while. The god doesn’t notice or ignores it.

"Whose son are you?", asks Shirogane.

"I don’t know." murmurs Keith truthfully.

"Are you an exile?" The god seems surprised.

"No I’m not, I live in an orphanage and just don’t know my parents."

"Well Keith, is there a reason for your visit?"

"No, I’m sorry if I interrupted you...sir."

"It is fine Keith, son of the humans. Would you like to accompany me for a while?"

That’s how Keith ends up spending the rest of his day with an actual god. They talk about Keith’s past, what he remembers about his parents. And of course they talk about Shirogane. About his arm and why it isn’t part of the myths surrounding the God. Apparently Shirogane lost his arm during his fight with the serpent Python in Delphi. His victory became part of his myth and overshadowed the loss of his arm. His new arm is made out of pure and tangible light. Keith asks if it's alright to touch it and when he does, it feels like a silky, ethereal warmthness.

From this day on Keith daily meets with Shirogane in the forest. They spend their time talking and picking wild berries and after a few weeks Keith is allowed to call the God "Shiro".  
One day, Shiro offers to learn the art of the Lyre to Keith. Keith may be a bit thickheaded, but even he knows he would be a fool to refuse this offer from the god of music.  


"I will play something first so that you can listen and learn." Offers Shiro.  


Then he starts to play and Keith finds himself again captivated by the mesmerizing melody.  
After a few minutes Shiro hands Keith the lyre, ‘Here, try it’.  
Keith, sitting on the grass, tries. He moves his hand across the strings, but it doesn’t sound nice at all.  
Shiro stands up from his place in front of Keith and settles in the grass behind him, his legs around Keith’s. Keith’s back touches Shiro’s broad chest when Shiro leans forward. Keith feels a comforting warmth at the place where they are touching and he wants to sink into that warmth, but manages to keep his composure.  


"The position of your fingers is off." 

Shiro tells him and then Keith feels Shiro’s fingers on his own. They are very soft and delicate and again, the pleasant warmth spreads where they are touching. Shiro’s fingers relocate Keith’s, but when Shiro’s finished, his fingers remain on Keith’s. A few minutes pass where they just sit in silence, listening to their breathing. After a while, shiro’s hand takes Keith’s and he starts moving it across the strings. The sound they produce together sounds way better. Their hands follow a nice rhythm fo a while, before coming to a halt. Keith feels Shiro’s breath tickle his ear when Shiro whispers

"You are very extraordinary Keith".  


Shiro takes the lyre and puts it aside. Keith turns around and tries to figure out what the God means. But before Keith manages to figure it out, Shiro leans forward and touches his lips to Keith’s. Keith feels that pleasant warmth he felt when their body’s touched. But this is so different; the warmth is way more intense, fully enveloping Keith and making his head spin from pleasure. Keith kisses Shiro back and when Keith opens his mouth slightly, he feels the warmth of Shiro’s tongue. Keith almost drowns in Shiro’s warmth and presence.  


Keith didn’t know what kissing a God would be like, but it’s way better than he could've imagined. He knows that also has to do with the other man being Shiro. Keith thinks he has come to like, or maybe even love, Shiro in the few weeks they know each other.  
"Do you want me to stop?" Shiro asks. Keith appreciates the God giving him a way to back out if he wouldn’t have wanted this. Shiro isn’t like the other gods in the stories who take whatever they want.  
In response, Keith kisses him. When they part, he still sees the question in Shiro’s eyes. This only makes Keith longing for more.  
And he gets more.

\---

Keith is on his way to the woods to meet Shiro. In a few days he’ll have to leave for the frontlines. At first he was worried, because he was afraid he would never see Shiro again. But then Keith remembered that the man is a god and could visit him wherever he wants to. Keith is a bit unsure if he will though, because he isn't sure about their relationship. Neither of them talks about the future and what they mean to each other. There’s also the fact that Shiro is a God and thus immortal, while Keith is mortal.  
Keith gets snapped out of his thoughts by a moving shadow when he reaches the edge of the forest. It isn’t in Keith’s nature to be scared or run away, so he enters the forest anyway. Nothing seems wrong, until a man suddenly blocks his path. It's an old man, who hid behind a big oak tree so that Keith couldn’t see him. 

‘What do you want?’ snarls Keith. The man doesn’t answer, but takes a few stapes forward. Keith starts to back off and starts to turn to run away, but the man is faster and grips his arms. Despite his old looks, the man has a very strong grip and Keith struggles to try to break free.  


"It’ll be faster if you cooperate" rasps the, maybe not so old, man.

The man starts to undo Keith’s cloak. Then it hits Keith what the perverted man wants. The idea of the man assaulting him is unbearable and Keith’s way too proud for that. Thus he starts to struggle seriously and manages to land a few nice hits. When Keith is almost free from the man's grip, he feels a sharp pain in his stomach. He looks down and sees a knife sticking out of his stomach. Keith notices the man run and disappear into the forest. When he looks down again, there's a fast growing puddle of blood on the grass where Keith's standing. He tries to stay upright, but fails and collapses. He clasps his wound and pulls the knife out. He lets out a soft gasp of pain. Keith then does the only remaining option he can think of: he prays to the gods. In particular, he prays to Shirogane, because Keith doesn't want to die without seeing Shiro one last time and it's also very convenient that he is the god of healing.

As if he heard his prayer, Shiro appears. Keith sees the shocked look on his face as the god kneels next to him.  


"What happened? Who did this to you? I swear to Zeus that I’ll find the person who is responsible!"  


Keith has never seen a God in such distress. If he was in a different state, he would have laughed.  


Shiro’s hands tenderly touch the wound. "You are losing too much blood Keith, even I cannot cure it".

Keith sees the sadness shimmerig in Shiro’s eyes and realises he truly means a lot to the God. He takes Shiro’s head between his in blood covered hands. "I-I love you Shiro. And I would've given everything to stay with you for eternity." Tears stream down both their cheeks and it’s hard for Keith to speak because of the pain, but he manages to continue. "But I...I also love the time we’ve spend together and I’m grateful for that. I’m satisfied a..and I think in your arms is a good way to leave. I’m ready."  
He says that last sentence with all the determination he can muster. He looks up at Shiro, whose eyes shimmer with an idea.

"Keith is that really how you feel?"  


"Of course."  


"I can make you immortal Keith. We can stay together forever, even if it is not the same as it is now."  


"Do you want me to be immortal Shiro?"  


"Yes, I love you too Keith. Love is an eternal burden to a god. Thus I do want you to be immortal, but it will cost you a lot.’  


In his last breath, Keith manages to say "Then do it Shiroga-".  


Keith wasn't able to fully pronounce Shiro’s name before he starts to feel itchy all over his body. He feels pressure building up within him, as if he'll implode. The feeling gets painfully strong and just when Keith can’t bear it any longer, it stops. But as the itchy feeling stops, so does his human life.

\---

Zeus watches contendly from his throne on mount Olympus. He watches closely how Shirogane turns the human boy into the first Laurel tree. Centuries later people will still be able to hear the whispers of two loved ones when standing close to the tree. Zeus feels satisfied, since his will is once more fulfilled. To honor the boy who had to sacrifice his humanity, Zeus allows the laurel wreath to become one of Shirogane’s attributes, like his lyre and bow and arrow. That way they'll be together till the end of time.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/shipnuggets.


End file.
